Golden Rectangle or Ratio explained

[Phil]

Thought I'd post this for the inquiring minds here. No affiliation, I have just seen this come up a few times.

Davis

[John]

I knew that.

[Steve DeMars]

Excuse my ignorance . . . but how would one apply this to woodworking and what is it?

Thanks in advance . . . Steve

[Enoch Root]

Try here, for starters:

[SFChuck]

The "golden ratio" is a useful proportion in furniture making. One often sees chests of drawers, etc., that are 1.6 time higher than they are wide or horizontally-oriented pieces that are 1.6 times wider than they are high, etc.

It is also useful for drawer siz> Excuse my ignorance . . . but how would one apply this to woodworking and > what is it?

[Steve DeMars]

Thanks, I have been looking for that, just had no idea what it was called or referred to . . .

[president]

The Golden ratio is pleasing to the eye. Theoretically a chest with dimensions of 1.6 :1 will be more attractive to more people than one with a ratio of 1.4 :

[Gooey TARBALLS]

[Teamcasa]

Design without good use of proportions is either art or junk.

Dave

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[Guess who]

between. The one with sides in a certain ratio, called the Golden Ratio, is thought by most to be the most pleasing [aesthetic.] However, I'd hate to have EVERY rectangle in the house that shpae. Variety is the spice of life.

Google for methods of finding it, but basically it's the solution to an equation found form each of those methods:

x^2 - x - 1 = 0

You'll find out the numerical value sqrt(5)+1 : 2, or, same thing,

2 : sqrt(5) - 1

[mjmwallace]

Phil:

I read a good book on the subject about a year or so ago:

author is a astrophysicist and explains the GR from a mathmatical viewpoint as well from an artistic one. He explains the roots of the GR as well examines whether or not it shows up in nature on in art as often as people think.

The truth of it all is that while it is interesting that the GR does appear (sometime) in nature, it's use in art is not conclusive. The pyramids and classical Greek scupture and buildings for example, do not use the GR at all.

While it appears that we can use the GR as a general guide in designing furniture, it is not an end all. Studies, as expained in the book, indicate that people objectively don't really gravitate towards objects built using the GR as a design element when presented choices.

So my final thoughts - don't get hung up on GR.

MJ Wallace

[mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.ne]

I've been told (although I don't know for sure if this is true) that the human eye's visual range (width to height) approximates the Golden Ratio. However, this wouldn't explain why we find upright Golden Ratios to be so visually appealing.

It does, however, match pretty much to the dimensions chosen for standard TV sets (NTSC). THe same goes for landscape style painting and pictures ... the GR just looks better.

Jack

Enoch Root wrote:

[David]

4:3 isn't that close to the GR. Widescreen TV sure as hell isn't!

dave

[Martin Evans]

and NTSC isn't close to proper "colour" either.

NTSC aka Never Twice the Same Colour

Oh and that's colour spelt the proper way :-)

[David]

:) I spent my formative years in merry old England. I still catch myself spelling things the British way.

Dave

[Brad]

I have heard that the golden ratio applies to much more than furniture. Many say it is the key to making good turned bowls or vases as well. Brad